Recessing tool



April 1, 1930. J. H. ABRAMSON RECESSING TOOL Filed Dec. 8,1928

Patented Apr. 1,1930

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE JOHN HERBERT ABRAMSON, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GREENLEE BROS. &

(10., OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS nnonssino TOOL Application filed December 8, 1928.

i in the door casing for the hinges as well as for the door lock and its striker plate, the invention being, however, not entirely limited to such use.

Theprincipal object of the invention is to provide a tool for the purpose described, comprising a chisel having a frame adjustably mounted thereon provided with laterally disposed arms arranged by contact with the surface to be recessed to guide the chisel to make a smooth out as well as to gauge the depth of the cut, to the end that a much better job can be done in a fraction of the time otherwise required and without the exercise of the skill otherwise involved.

Another feature of the tool of my invention consists in the provision of adjustable stops on the guide arms arranged for use in recessing the edge of a door for example, the said stops serving by engagement with the opposite sides of the door to keep the chisel within the limits of the recess to be out, either or both of said stops being arranged to be swung to an out-of-the-way position when only one or neither is to be used according to the job in hand.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figs. 1 and 2 are respectivel a plan and side View of a tool made in accorc ance withiny invention, this particular tool being especial ly designed for the cutting of recesses to serve as hinge seats;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through a similar form of tool especially designed for recessing the edge of a door around the mortise to receive the lock flush with the edge of the door,

and

Fig. 4 is a View taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3, one of the stops being shown dotted in an out-of-the-way position, to which posi- Serial No. 324,656.

tion the same is arranged to be moved when thetool is being used in the cutting of a recess in the door jamb to receive the striker plate.

Corresponding reference numerals are applied to the same or similar parts throughout the views.

In the hanging of a door, there are numer- I ous recesses that have to be cut in the door itself and in the door casing for the hinges, as well as for the door lock and its striker plate. It has been customary for the carpentor to lay out these recesses, mark them with the edge of his chisel and then chisel out to approximately the desired depth. After that the bottom of the recess had to besmoothed carefully, taking pains to cut to a uniform depth and not to out too deep. Then, a test would show whether the recess were deep enough and, if necessary, the recess would be cut deeper, the workman being careful again in the smoothing thereof not to out too deep. In other words, it was a cut and try ob, took considerable time, and necessitated considerable skill as well as care on the partof theworkman in the handling of the chisel. The tool of my invention, as will presently appear, is designed with a view to enabling even a relatively unskilled workman to do the same work in less time and, moreover,make abetter job of it, without all of the cutting and trying referred to.

The tool shown in "Figs. 1 and 2 comprises an ordinary chisel 5 having the usual handle 6 and having a frame 7 det'achably secured thereto by means of a screw 8 threading in a hole made in the chisel. The; head of the V screw is arranged to pass freely through the large end of a keyhole slot 9 provided in said frame, but is arranged by cooperation with the small end of the slot to fasten the frame securely onto the chisel, as shown in Fig. 1. Downwardly projecting lugs 10, provided on the frame at opposite sides of the slot 9, are arranged by engagement with the sides of the chisel tokeep the frame from turning relative thereto so as to keep a pair of laterally spaced parallel arms 11 provided on the frame 7 in parallel relation to the sides of the chisel. The arms 11, it will be observed, have the free ends thereof enlarged and rounded on the under surfaces, as shown at 12, so as to ride freely and smoothly on the edge of the door, represented at I), in the cutting of the recess R. The frame 7 is arranged to fulcrum on the face of the chisel on a projection 13 provided inthe form of a rib preferably cast integralwith the frame on "theunder side thereof. The fulcrum point 13 is in front of the screw 8, and another screw 14 behind the screw 8 is threaded in the frame 7 and is arranged to bear against the face of the chisel and serve, when tightened, to clamp the frame firmly onto the chisel.

In operation, the carpenterafter marking the recess with the chisel 5, places the frame 7 thereon, adjusts the screws 8 and 1a to bring the cutting-edge of the chisel in a certain predetermined spaced relation to the plane of the surfaces 12 on the arms 11, and

.. then proceeds to cut away the stock to make the recess. In the setting of the chisel, it

maybe found advantageous to rest the arms 11' on the edge of the door and then adjust the screws 8 and 14 to get the chisel to approximately'the right position, the clearance between the cutting edge of the chisel and the arms 11 being very'easy to check by this method. In the use of the chisel, the arms 11 are made to bear on the surface adjacent opposite ends of the recess to be cut so as to guide the chisel for smooth cutting and for operation at a uniform depth. In the roughing out of the recess the carpenter may, if desired, set the chisel to a certain clearance with reference to the arms 11 to come close to the depth of recess desired and thereafter by simply increasing the clearance slightly, as need be, cut the recess to the exact depth desired. Obviously, the recess is bound to be of uniform depth and about as smooth as it is possible to make it. The workman, furthermore, does not have to be'nearly as skillful to get the same results as any experienced workman and, furthermore, can finish a recess in much lesstime.

In the case of the recessing tool shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the arms 11 are not spaced nearly as far apart for the reason that this tool is arranged to be operated lengthwise of the edge of a door or door jamb in the recessing of the door around the lock mortise and in recessing the door jamb to receive the striker plate. The chisel 5 is correspondingly narrower, but is arranged to have the frame 7" adjustable and detachably mounted thereon in substantially the same way as the frame 7 is fastened to the chisel 5. In other words, aiscrew threading in a hole in the chisel 5f fits in a keyhole slot 9 in the frame 7 and in the tightening of the screw 14:, the

frame from turning relative to the chisel. In

the operation of a tool of this kind along the edge of a door for example, such as the door represented at D, it would obviously be a dif ficult proposition to keep the arms 11 from riding ofi' the door at either side, especially when the recess has to be cut close up to both sides of-thedoor. For that reason, I have provided a pair of adjustable stops in the form of screws 15 threaded in, arms 16 nor mally;projecting downwardly from the outside of the arms 11, said screws being arranged to ride "againstopposite sides of the door and thus guide the tool in its operation. The ends of the screws 15 are, of course, rounded'and'made smooth so as not to mar the finish of thedoor. The screws 15 are both adjusted so that the movement of the chisel toward either side of the door is limited according to the width of the recess R to be cut. Lock nuts 17 are 'arranged'to be tightened by hand to keep the screws in adjusted position. Obviously, if the arms 16 were rigid Withthe arms 11, the tool would be suitable only for use in the reeessing of the edge of a door, and could not, for example, be used in cutting the recess in the door jamb for the striker plate. For that reason, I prefer to have the arms 16 arranged to turn on screws 18, the screws 18 serving when tightened tocl'amp the arms in adjusted position. In Fig.4,"one ofthe arms '16 is shown raised to a dotted position, the other arm being left projecting downwardly so that the stop screw '16 thereon will be arranged by engage ment with the side of the door jamb to guide .the tool in the operation thereof in a manner believed to be self-evident. If-desired, the arms 16 may be removed when they are notto be used.

It'is believed'that the foregoing description conveys a clear understanding of my invention and of its variousobjects and advantages. The appended claims have been drawn with a view -to affording protection.

commensurate with these improvements.

I claim:

1. A tool for the purposes described comprising a chisel and a guide frame adjustably and detachably mounted 011 the chisel, said frame having a part extending therefrom, the free end of which is arranged to ride on the surface ofthe work adjacent the place to be cut whereby to insure-smooth and uniform cutting, and said frame having portion-s arranged to engage opposite sides of the chisel to keep the frame in proper relation thereto, the adjustable detachable connection between the frame and chisel comprising a screw adjustably threaded in the chisel and extending from the face thereof, said frame having a key-hole slot provided. therein for detachable engagement therein of said screw, the said frame being arranged to fulcrum on the face of the chisel in front of said slot, and another screw threaded in said frame behind said slot and arranged to bear against the face of the chisel whereby not only to clamp the frame onto the chisel but maintain the same in a predetermined depth guiding relation thereto.

2. A recessing tool comprising a chisel, a generally U-shaped guide frame having the cross portion thereof bearing on the face of said chisel with the substantially parallel arms thereof disposed at opposite sides of the sharp end of the chisel, said frame having a pair of lugs arranged for engagement with opposite sides of the chisel to keep the frame from turning out of operative position, and means for fastening said frame onto the chisel arranged for adjustment whereby to dispose the arms of said frame in variable relation with the chisel according to the depth of cut to be made, said last mentioned means comprising a screw adjustablythreaded in the chisel and passing freely through a hole in the frame, said frame having a projecting boss arranged for fulcrum engagement on the face of the chisel at a point spaced one way from the screw, and another screw adjustabiy threaded in the frame at a point spaced the other way from said screw and arranged to engage the face of the chisel so that when the same is tightened the frame is clamped on the chisel in adjusted position.

3. A recessing tool comprising a chisel, a generally U-shaped guide frame having the cross portion thereof bearing on the face of said chisel with the substantially parallel arms thereof disposed at opposite sides of the sharp end of the chisel, means for fastensaid frame onto the chisel arranged for adjustment whereby to dispose the arms of said frame in variable relation with the chisel according to the depth of cut to be made, an arm swingably mounted on the free end of one of the arms of said frame and arranged to be held either in a raised out of the Way position or in a lowered operative position, and an adjustable stop screw threadedly engaged in the free end of the swingable arm adjustable inwardly toward the side of the chisel.

a. A recessing tool comprising a chisel, a generally U-shaped guide frame having the cross portion thereof bearing on the face of said chisel with the substantially parallel arms thereof disposed at opposite sides of the sharp end of the chisel, means for fastening said frame onto the chisel arranged for adjustment whereby to dispose the arms of said frame in variable relation with the chisel according to the depth of out to be made, a pair In witness of the foregolng I affix my signature.

JOHN- HERBERT ABRAMSON. 

